The library's solid-wood bookshelves gave off an understated air of luxury.
Beneath the lights, they gleamed with a warm, restrained luster. The lighting and the real wood were both essential.
Their design was distinctly classical, with multiple tiers at varying heights that still maintained a sense of balance.
Their structure brought to mind the book repositories of ancient times.
The modern desk lamps, dressed in traditional dark-green shades, created a striking contrast.
As promised, the study session began in a corner of the library. The Three Idiots, the reclusive duo, and the angels of Class D were there.
Like nouveau riche with Louis Vuitton, they had a beauty untouched by knowledge.
"This is so hard. There's no way I can finish studying everything."
"Yeah, Sudo. My brain can't fit anything else in it." The gorilla and the horny monkey complained.
"No wonder you're defective goods. Tsk, tsk." Yamawaki taunted Sudo.
"What did you say?!"
"Huh? Class D are defective goods. Everyone knows that, right?"
"Are you picking a fight by going out of your way to say that?"
"I was just joking. I'm Yamawaki from Class C. Nice to meet you."
Yamawaki wore a malicious smile, giving off an ominous air.
"Come to think of it, sorting us into classes by ability was a great idea. I couldn't stand studying alongside idiots."
"What did you say?!"
As usual, Sudo was the first to jump up in anger.
"I'm just telling the truth. Don't get so mad. If you resort to violence on campus, who knows how much it'll affect your points? Oh, but it seems like you don't have any points left to lose. In other words, you might get expelled."
Sudo was just about to attack when the unexpected arrival of someone stopped him.
"That's enough!"
A classmate with long pink-blond hair spoke up.
She was Ichinose from Class B, beautiful and intelligent.
"Class C has gone too far with the provocation. If this continues, I'll report Class C's behavior to the school as well. With this many witnesses, it won't be easy for you to get away with it."
"Who are you? Outsiders should stay out of this."
"Hey, hey. Our angel Ichinose is being picked on. I can't just sit back and watch."
Nagami, who had been reading in the library, came over to break up the argument.
"Nagami, calling her an angel is a bit much, isn't it?"
"Nagami, you mean Nagami from Class D?!"
Yamawaki began to calm down. His expression shifted from vicious to ingratiating. Ryuen must have trained him well; he'd clearly heard of Nagami's reputation.
Did Shiina tell the others in our class about me? That was fast.
"If you want to fight, Yamawaki, come spar with us at the boxing club. The club members are all talented, and they're great conversationalists. I really like it there."
With that, he gripped Yamawaki's shoulder. His powerful hand made Yamawaki's bones creak.
Unable to break free, Yamawaki immediately chose the best option available.
"Sorry, I was wrong. I apologize to you all."
"Come on, we're all classmates. We should get along. I accept your apology."
"Wait, I'm the one he should be apologizing to! I haven't even—"
Before Sudo could finish speaking, Yamawaki slipped away like an eel.
"Thanks, Nagami. Lately, the students from Class C have been pestering those of us in Class B everywhere. They're as annoying as mosquitoes. I never thought Class D would have to deal with them too."
"Haha, Ichinose got bitten by a mosquito too. They're annoying like mosquitoes, and even when you swat one, it leaves your hands dirty."
"Are you free for karaoke tonight? You could come with some of us from Class B." Ichinose invited Nagami to join them.
"Sorry! I still prefer being alone. Big groups make me anxious." Nagami wasn't interested in socializing at the moment.
"What a shame. Kana!" "Kana!"
After Ichinose said goodbye,
"Nagami, you've been watching from the sidelines this whole time, haven't you? You only stepped in once Ichinose got involved. Do you care more about her than your classmates?" Horikita said, displeased.
The light novel couldn't be found by title. Try searching by the author instead; it might have just been renamed!
"And you got someone else to take your place at the study session, too. You don't look particularly busy."
"Ah, that hurts, Horikita. I just happened to be reading nearby. I care about every student in our class."
Nagami shrugged, showing his helplessness.
I care about them like they're extra lives.
"That's right, Nagami isn't like that."
Kushida's words tipped the balance of the little group at once. That was the charm of a social butterfly.
"Well, that's good to hear."
"Sudo, don't fall for Class C's provocations next time. Something bad could happen."
"I know that, obviously. Don't look down on me."
This is rough. If I had to deal with that red-haired gorilla and monkey, I'd have a hard time resisting the urge to beat them up.
Haa, I have my own reasons. I skipped the study session for the sake of my classmates' safety.
Once, I got angry when I was extremely angry. An ordinary person would be bedridden for a week.
That's the value of forty centimeters of forearm.
The official test was only three days away. An unusual atmosphere hung over the classroom, like the sword of Damocles known as failing.
The air grew tense, until Kushida spoke up.
"Everyone, sorry, but I have something for you before you head home." Kushida stood at the podium.
"These are past exam questions from previous years, from when the older students first enrolled. There's a good chance this year's test will be the same."
The classroom erupted like a red-hot iron ball thrown into a swimming pool.
"What? Then the test will be easy. I wish I'd known sooner—I wouldn't have studied so hard."
"Kushida, you're our angel."
"Thank you, Kushida..." The Three Idiots and the other students all thanked her.
Three days later, the instant Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom, she looked around at the students. They waited with bated breath for the midterm results, giving the classroom an unusually tense atmosphere.
"Sensei, I heard you're announcing our test results today. When will that be?" Hirata asked.
"Hirata, you don't need to be so excited, do you? An exam like that should've been easy."
"...When will you announce them?"
"Go ahead and be happy. I'm announcing them now. If I waited until after school, we wouldn't have time to take care of the various procedures."
"What... do you mean by that?"
A bad feeling crept over them.
"Don't be nervous. I'll announce the results now." Chabashira-sensei was about to reveal the truth.
Sudo had scored around sixty in four of the five subjects, which was quite good. But his English score, the most important one, was thirty-nine.
Chabashira-sensei picked up a red pen and drew a line above Sudo's English score.
Then she wrote a simple equation on the blackboard.
It read: 79.6 ÷ 2 = 39.8.
So it was the average score divided by two. Sudo had failed.
"That proves you've failed. That's all."
"This can't be real... Does that mean I... I... I'm going to be expelled?"
Sudo stammered through several repetitions of "I," then slumped over his desk in despair.
"Sudo, I'll be waiting for you in the staff room after school."
Chabashira-sensei left the classroom. The class began discussing whether there was any way to resolve the situation.
Ayanokoji seemed to realize something and followed in the teacher's direction.
Could you buy points too? If so, you could probably buy a class transfer or a one-time exemption from expulsion as well. But it must cost a lot. When I passed the upper-year classrooms, none of the classes had a full forty students.
Before long, Ayanokoji returned to the classroom. It had cost him a fortune, he said: one hundred thousand points for a single point on the test.
Getting fifty points in four subjects would cost twenty million. It would guarantee a pass on one exam.
"Thanks, Ayanokoji. From now on, you're my best friend."
Sudo bowed his head and clasped his hands together.
Unfortunately, when June 1 arrived, the points everyone had been expecting didn't show up. Something had gone wrong.
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